Hold on to your pants, blokes, because after a three-year gap the Mr. Gay UK contest is back. The contest and coronation will be held December 10 at The Mission in Leeds, where 14 finalists—chosen from a series of “heats” in nightclubs throughout the United Kingdom—will strut their stuff in hopes of nabbing the crown, as well as a photo shoot in Morocco, £2000 in cash and the chance to enter Mr. Gay Europe.”

Though words aren’t their strong suit, the contestants have some choice words for their fans:

Nik Chapman (at right), a 25-year-old bar manager from Newcastle says, “I’m a bit nervous, I’d love to get into the final three.”

About winning the local heat, Scott McCaffrey, a sales advisor from Darlington says he was shocked. “I couldn’t even speak. People were screaming and chanting my name. It was the best feeling in the world.”

If he wins, Stephen Barr (left) a singer from Belfast, says, “I will probably save it to go towards my singing career or for university. I want to broaden my opportunities for when I get older and have a nice career path.”

If you go to the website, Stephen is the only one wearing more than just his underwear! That alone gets him my vote, because he’s showing, in a subtle way, that being gay is more than just his body. Don’t get me wrong, there’s some nice bodies on display (and a nice mix too – toned, twink, body-builder-esque etc), but I always find these physical appearance contests a little… disturbing. In the past, it’s always seemed that Mr Gay UK is saying that the ‘best’ gay man is the one with the best body, which is wrong on so many levels.